


Solitary Envy

by That_Adorable_Fox



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: Angst, Child Abandonment, Child Neglect, Eating Disorder Not Otherwise Specified, Isolation, Loneliness, Other, Overworking, Saihara Shuichi Needs a Hug, give him a hug, lol comfort character go brrrrr, poor Shuichi, shuichis parents are a pair of assholes, vent fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-17
Updated: 2021-01-17
Packaged: 2021-03-15 20:22:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 862
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28819197
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/That_Adorable_Fox/pseuds/That_Adorable_Fox
Summary: He had cried and begged them not to go, not to leave him. But no matter how tightly he held his mothers hand, her fake, actress smile pried his small fingers from hers. His father’s cold stare cut through his eyes, carefully masking his emotions.But Saihara had been reading them for years. And behind that cold mask was the spark of joy and excitement unlike he had ever seen.
Kudos: 63





	Solitary Envy

**Author's Note:**

> Song inspiration: Solitary Envy (Hitorinbo Envii) by Koyori  
> Other inspiration: me being alone in a house too big for one person hehe

Saihara groaned, lifting his head from his desk. His computer was turned off, and he powered it on quickly, hoping all of his work was saved before he had...fallen asleep apparently. All of his work luckily  _ had _ been saved, and he sighed in relief. He looked at the clock in the corner of the screen and winced when it showed 6pm. He had started studying at about 12, paused for a class, and started up again after he got out of his last class, right? The screen began to hurt his eyes and he lowered the brightness on it. He had a headache, and he could practically taste the nausea that was coming for him. He stood up slowly, blinking the dark spots out of his vision before leaving his room. 

The house was dark and quiet, as it always was. His parents told him they needed to go on a trip for a week or so, and left him in charge of the place.

_ “You’re getting older, Shuichi. You’re going to be thirteen in a few months! You need to learn how to take care of yourself.” _

He had cried and begged them not to go, not to leave him. Even if his classes were online, he didn't want to go without them checking in on him. 

But no matter how tightly he held his mothers hand, her fake, actress smile pried his small fingers from hers. His father’s cold stare cut through his eyes, carefully masking his emotions.

But Saihara had been reading them for years. And behind that cold mask was the spark of joy and excitement unlike he had ever seen.

Saihara trudged down to the kitchen. He took a glass from a cabinet and went to the water dispenser, watching the glass fill up. His eyes were drooping again, but he pried them awake. He still needed to study. Maybe if he studied hard enough, he would win an award. If he won an award, he would maybe make the news. If he made the news, maybe his parents would be proud of him and come home immediately. 

The glass was about to overflow and Saihara lifted his finger from the button. He lifted the glass to his lips, slowly swallowing the cold liquid. With every gulp he could feel the nausea and lightheadedness dissipate, if only for a second. His energy began to come back. He set the glass down in the sink, even though it was still half full. He reached for a granola bar, but decided against it in the end. Food was only a distraction. He had to work hard to prove his worth. He needed to give his parents a reason to come back from their trip.

Saihara walked back up the stairs. His legs felt like lead, and he had to use the railing to steady himself, but he made it up nonetheless. He opened the door to his room and went in, closing it behind him, even though he knew no one but him would be opening it again. 

Dusty photos that were faced down on his dresser rustled as he passed. One of them was from an interview of a movie his parents starred in. Another was his very own interview when he was six. The interviewer was a lady with smudged, bright red lipstick that hurt his eyes and an even brighter red dress with sequins that flashed every time she moved. 

She had asked what his favorite place to go on trip was.

He answered that he hadn't been on any trips.

His parents gave him that icy glare that froze his soul from behind the cameras.

He remembered freezing up, and his mouth moving for him. He said that he hadn't had any bad trips, all of them were equally fun.

Saihara sat down in his chair.

He didn't like trips. His parents had fun on trips. So much fun, they extended their visits. From days to weeks, from weeks to months. trips weren't supposed to last for months. Not in the books Saihara had read.

Saihara opened his computer again and opened his textbook. He began typing, reviewing, anything.  _ Anything. _

He would make them proud. If they were proud, they would come home. __

He needed them to come home.

He needed…. 

His uncle forced his way into the house a few days later, after getting emails about Saihara missing class.

Saihara never missed class. Saihara was always the first one to join and the last one to leave.

The stairs creaked like no one had used them, the doors groaned like they had never been opened before.

He found Saihara crumpled under his desk like a ball of discarded trash, his breathing slow and shallow and body thin and pale. 

He was carried into an ambulance, then to the hospital, his vulnerable face shielded from the cameras by a woman with long, silvery-lilac hair and a man that was overdue for a growth spurt.

When he woke up again from the heart monitor's beeping and the smell of chemicals clogging his nose, he wondered if this would be enough to end his parent’s vacation.


End file.
